Electrical switch



R. B. BENJAMIN ET AL ELECTRICAL SWITCH Filed Sept. 1131917 Patented Mar. 6, 1923.

UNIITE a STATES 1,441,172 PATENT. OFFECE.

REUBEN B. BENJAMIN, or cIIIcAGo, ILLINoIs, AND THOMAS H. HARRIS, or DAYTON, oIIIo, ASSIGNORS 'ro BENJAMIN ELEcrRIc MANur c'ruIuNe COMPA Y, or CHI- CAGO,' ILLINoIs, A CORPORATION or ILLINoIs.

ELECTRICAL SWITCH.

Application filed September 11, 1917. Serial No, 190361. v

To allwhomit may concern:

Be it known that we, REUBEN B. BENJA- MIN and THOMAS H. HARRIS, citizensof the United States, residing, respectively, at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, and Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Switches, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to electrical switches. One of the objects of our invention is to provide improved means whereby a switchmay be quickly and easily installed without disturbing the'wiring system. Further objects will appear from the detailed description to follow and from the appended claims. I

In the drawings, in which two embodiments of our invention are shown A Figure 1 is a vertical axial section showing our improved switch in place;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view showing the outlet for the pull-chain;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing the connection between the cup and the insulating base;

Fig.4 is an axial section of another form of cup;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the cup shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the detachable switch member; I

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 77 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 88 of Fig. 6; and

Fig. -9 is a section on the line 9-9 of fieferring now to the drawings in detail, the device-shown comprises a wiring base 10, a combined wiring and switch member 11 detachably connected with the wiring base 10, a cover or housing 12 for the wir- .ing base 10, a cup member 13 for receiving the switch member 11, and a threaded connecting member 14 having a swivel connection with the cup member 13 and threaded into the annular threaded entrance portion 15 of the housing or cover 12.

The wiring base 10 comprises an insulatspectively, for quick-detachable engagement with the contacts 21, respectively, of the combined wiring and switch device 11 an insulating cover 21 is provided for the receptacle contacts 20,'having apertures 21 for the passage of the contacts 20 into engagement with the receptacle contacts.

The switch device 11 comprises a twopart insulating wiring and supporting base 22,'upon which the quick-detachable contacts- 21 are supported, a binding-terminal 23 electrically connected with one of the contacts 21, for one of the conductors leading to a suitable translating device, a binding-terminal 24; also supported b the insulating base 22, for the other con uctor leading to the translating deviceyand switch mechanism 25 located in a recess 26 formed in the two parts of the insulating base 22.

The switch mechanism 25 comprises a cen- I tral shaft 27 of conducting material held between the two parts of the base 22, a rota table operating lever or member 28 mounted on the shaft 27, a pull-chain 29 secured to member 30 also rotatably mounted on the shaft 27, combined conductor and contact been operated and for holding the members.

of the ratchet 33 in operative position.

The spring contact 32 is electrically 'connected with one of the quick-detachable contacts 21 through the leaf spring 35, and. the screw 36 which extends through registering openings in the spring 35 and insulat-' ing base 22 and is threaded into the base of the lever 28 for operating it, an insulating the quick-detachable contacts 21 (Fig. 9). The shaft 27 is electrically connected with the binding-terminal 24 by means of a strap 37 (Fig.8) of conducting material, one end of which is bent around the shaft '27 as indicated at 38, and the screw 39 extending through registering openings in the strap 37 and insulating base 22 and threaded into the binding-terminal 24.

The housing or cover-12 may be of pressed sheet-metal and may be secured in place by means of screws 40 (Fig. 1).

The upper edge 41 of. the threaded conneoting ring 14 engages an annular shoulder 42 on the insulating base 22, whereby screwing in the threaded ring 14 will hold the insulating base 22 and the quick-detachable contacts 21 securely in position. sulating base 22 is non-rotatably held with respect to the cup member 13 by means of a pair of spring tongues 43 (Fig. 3) secured at one end to the cup member 13, as indicated at 44, and provided at the other end with projections 45 for engagement with recesses 46 in the upper face of the insulat-v ing base 22. The upper ends of the spring tongues 43 lie in grooves 47 in the edge of the insulating base 22 (Fig. 6), whereby relatlve rotation between the base 22 and the cup member 13 is prevented.

The conductors may lead from the switch to a tubular stem 48 threaded into a nut 49 secured to the cup member 13 (Fig. 1). The tubular stem 48 may form a support for any suitable translating device, as an electrolier, or the like. The circuit is from one of the bindingterminals 18 through one of the quick-detachable contacts 20, one of the quick-detachable contacts 21, binding-terminal 23, through the translating device and the conductors connected therewith, binding-tenninal 24, screw 39, strap 37, shaft 27, conductor and contact member 31, spring contact 32, spring leaf 35, screw 36, and the other quick-detachable contact 21 to the other quick-detachable contact 20 and the other binding-terminal 18. i f

If the spring contact 32 is'in engagement with the combined conductor and contact member 31, an oscillation of the switch lever 28 will move the contact member 31 out of engagement with the spring contact and permit the spring contact 32 to drop down on the insulating member30. The succeed-' ing oscillation of the switch lever 28 will again bring the combined conductor and contact member 31 into engagement with the spring contact 32.

In case it is desired to use an indirect lighting fixture, the cup member 50 shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is substituted for the cup member 13 in Fig. 1. This cup member 50 is provided with three hooks 51 secured thereto by means of eyelets 52. The hook mem- The in-- bers 51 serve as attaching means for the chains which support the bowl of the lighting fixture. Suitable openings 53 are proed connecting member 14 and separating the contacts 21 cm the contacts 20. The wiring base 10 is so constructed that other fittings, such as those shown in our copending application Serial No. 155,910, filed March 19, 1917 may be substituted for the switch member 11 and. may be held in place by means of a threaded connecting member engaging the threaded entrance portion 15.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1.. In a device of the class described, a wiring base having a wire terminal and a readily detachable contact, a combined wiring and supporting base having a second wirin terminal for a lighting fixture, a secon readily detachable contact for en-' gagement with said first contact and a switch, all supported by said combined wiring and supportingbase, and a housing for said mmbined wiring and supportin base having an entrance through which sai combined wiring and supporting base may be inserted or removed, a closure'for said ontrance, and means for supporting a lighting fixture from said closure.

2. The combination with a receptacle having wiring terminals and quick detachable contacts electrically connected with said terminals and an insulating cover in front of said contacts having apertures afiording access to said contacts, of means for supporting a lighting fixture in position with respect to said receptacle and controlling the .cess to said contacts, of means for supporting a lighting fixture in position with respect to said receptacle and controlling the circuit to said fixture comprising an msulating base, wiring terminals for the lighting fixture mounted on said base, contacts for insertion through said apertures for engaging the receptacle contacts mounted on said 5 base, switch mechanismfor controlling the lighting fixture also mounted on said base, a. lighting fixture stem, and means for securing said fixture stem and said insulating base in position with respect to said receptacle. v

- In witness whereof, wehave hereunto subscribed our names.-

REUBEN B. BENJAMIN.

THOS. H. HARRIS. 

